a Tale for Christmas
by reishilovesyaoi
Summary: "tell us how he died..." "I will tell you how he lived" KZ


"Tell me how he died...

I will tell you how he lived"

-taken from **"The Last Samurai"**

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He smiled at the merry fire coming from the fireplace, effectively warming up the small room as he turned to settle himself into the rather old rocking chair that was in its usual position nearby, leaning back and relaxing against its familiar frame. He felt perfectly calm now, as he closed his eyes and waited for the usual knock on the door he was sure would be coming just about…

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Now. He smiled, knowing his instincts still haven't failed him after all these years. He didn't need wait to answer before the door opened and 4 children stepped in, with such happy smiles he couldn't help but return, he could only see these kids once a year, but seeing them like this makes all that waiting worthwhile.

All four of them,2 boys and 2 girls lined up to greet him properly and in one chorus said "Merry Christmas, Grandpa!"

He ruffled each of their hairs and nodded "Merry Christmas" he replied and let them go to the table to eat the candies and sweets he had prepared for them beforehand.

"You know the rules, no fighting, there's plenty for all of you" he reminded them.

"Grandpa" Ran approached him. he was the oldest among all four children and he had the greatest resemblance to him when he was much younger. "Aren't you going to eat?"

He smiled, shaking his head gently "You go ahead young one, I had plenty before you came in" technically that was a lie, but then again the kids doesn't need to know about that.

Ran looked at him but after a while said "Okay" then retuned to his sibling and cousins. It warmed his heart to see them looking so happy and at peace, that he couldn't help but feel proud, yet had that small dull ache in his heart, a kind of pain when you miss that special someone…but he pushed aside those thoughts away. Back then, they both knew what they did was for the best…His only regret was not being able to tell him those three most important words.

"Grandpa?" Yuri, the youngest of them trotted up to him, she must've noticed the slight moistening of his eyes "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course" he answered, blinking away those near tears at once "Are you done eating?" he turned to all of them.

"Hai!" they said, showing their hands all cleaned up as they then settled around him, sitting close to each other in a small circle.

He pulled Yuri into his lap before smiling at the children "Okay then, what story would you like for me to tell you this evening?" it had been a sort of tradition for him to tell them stories, of their parents and uncles, and others that almost seemed like only a fairy tale to their young minds.

"Tell one about mum and dad!" Taki, the second eldest boy said, but his sister whacked him on the side of the head.

"We heard that last time! Let grandpa tell something else" Akemi said to him.

"What about telling us more about you grandpa?" Ran suggested suddenly, that he was taken aback, he was not sure what he should tell them about himself.

Then Yuri shook her head "Grandpa…I wanna know about…Grandfather" she said softly.

His eyes widened completely at her request, but regained himself quickly, trying not to look too affected by her choice.

"Yeah Grandpa, you rarely talk about him in your stories…I wanna know too" Akemi agreed.

"But I heard from Dad that Grandfather died when he was still young!" Taki interjected "How did he die Grandpa?"

That question caught the interest of all four eyes now staring at him curiously, but he shook his head gently as he ran his finger on Yuri's mop of dark brown hair "I won't tell you how he died" he resisted the urge to chuck at their crestfallen faces "But instead, I will tell you how he lived" he said, feeling his chest gave a funny lurch at the thought of talking about him to their grandchildren. Thinking about him always was one thing, but talking was…

He shook his head mentally, you're _probably laughing at what I'm going to say huh?_

"Okay, I guess that works too! How did you two meet Grandpa?" Akemi asked, genuinely interested.

He smiled at her as he said, mind filling with his own memories "We first when we both still young. And that was at your great grandfather Kaien's house…we certainly didn't like each other back then, and we thought of each other more as enemies"

"What! Oh no! you were enemies? But why?" Yuri asked worriedly, her hands holding his tightly "Did it go okay?"

He held her hand tightly back, "Of course, but not until a few years later in school. When we started we were still the best of enemies. I remember we used to exchange sarcastic remarks just to annoy each other" he chuckled at the memory of how they acted back then "There wasn't a day we didn't glare at each other trying to piss each other off, we really hated each other at those times"

"But Grandpa" Ran said, looking confused "If you hated each other, how did you end up together?"

Once again he found himself smiling at the innocent question that both them tried to understand as well back then, but gave as it was pointless anyways, but he couldn't tell them that now could he?

"You know, love and fate works in funny ways, sometimes it just struck when you least expect it, and even to whom it might happen with"

They stared waiting for him to continue

"Your grandfather and I are very different individuals, a bit too different, that it was like we were heaven and hell apart. Even though we never really got along, somewhere along that line I learned too respect him, but of course then I would never tell him that, thinking it was stupid and not worth the humiliation"

All four was looking at him attentively now, not even trying to interrupting him.

"And like I said, the weirdest things happens at the weirdest times. Everything started when coincidentally we have been sent on the same mission, we both learned of it far too late to back out, and we were both too proud to stand down. We decided to ignore each other but go on with what we were assigned to do" he paused for a while as he remembered that night "And we weren't even watching each other's backs, but when I spared him a glance I noticed one of the enemies approaching him. I wasn't even thinking when I jumped in to dispose of it, and at the same time he killed one that was on my back. That was the first time we did that to each other…and everything started from there"

"Everything" he thought "Not only our slowly developing feelings for each other, but as well as the hardships we had to endure"

"But grandpa" Yuri said "If he loves you so much, why did he leave you?"

he turned to her and smiled sadly, inevitably feeling his eyes fill with tears again "There are many ways to show the people important to us how much we love them…your grandfather loved us so much he was willing to pay the ultimate price for us…his life"

Silence washed over the room as the children suddenly became lost in their own thoughts.

Not wanting things to stay gloomy he ruffled Yuri's hair and gave them a bright smile "That's enough for the evening. Now, how about you guys check under the tree and start opening your presents"

It's a trick that never fails, as their faces immediately brightened up "Okay!" all four raced to the Christmas tree to find their presents.

He smiled at them from where he sat, feeling strangely relaxed and warm even after sharing a story that always bought about sadness in him. he whispered "What would you say if you are here?" he closed his eyes.

Then suddenly he felt a gentle weight on his shoulder, he looked up to see his lover smiling gently at him before glancing over to the children, who were too busy opening boxes.

"They're beautiful"

He nodded "Yes, they are. They also came from us in a way, anyway"

That hand pressed down on his shoulder sadly "My only regret was not being there to enjoy it with you" he said, looking at him with those expressive eyes he missed so much.

He reached for that hand and pressed it as well "Mine was not being able to say the most important thing before you left that day" he said, lump in his throat.

The man pushed those tears away from his eyes. "I didn't need to hear it, I know it by heart"

"I know, but I still wanted to say it"

Smiling, they shared a soft, gentle kiss. A kiss of longing for each other, a kiss of emotion and feelings. A kiss that told them that they would never be apart again.

"I love you Kaname"

"I love you Zero"

Yuri felt something as she was opening her gift, she glanced over to her grandpa, who was leaning back against his rocking chair, eyes closed but with a happy smile. As she felt her tears fall down she whispered.

"Merry Christmas…Grandpa, Grandfather" she knew that they were happy now, together like they should be.

"Thank you…"

-end-

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yeah, so I'm not good with sad fics, but this is my sort of early Christmas fic since i'll be busy in the following weeks!

Merry Christmas guys! have a blessed holidays!


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